Empire Wind Project Is Halted: U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered Equinor’s Empire Wind project off New York’s coast to stop work immediately, a drastic shift in the federal government’s policy towards offshore wind development.
The Empire Wind project had won final approval from the federal government last year under the Biden administration. But in a memo the Washington Free Beacon first obtained, Secretary Burgum explained that officials hurried through the approval process without adequate analysis or coordination between the participating agencies. “The previous administration pushed through the project without adequate analysis or consultation,” Burgum wrote. He reaffirmed the concern in an X post, where he said the suspension will remain “until further review of information that indicates the Biden administration acted too quickly in its approval without adequate analysis.”
Located about 15 to 30 miles southeast of Long Island, the Empire Wind project spans 80,000 acres and was due to enter commercial operations in 2027. The project would have been historic as the first offshore wind plant to be grid-connected to New York City’s electricity supply. With contracted capacity of 810 megawatts, Empire Wind 1 would have lit up 500,000 homes. Along with the Sunrise Wind project in the nearby area, the total capacity of over 2 gigawatts could, theoretically, power over one million New York homes.
Read also: New York City Breaks Ground on Largest Wind Turbine Factory in the U.S.
Empire Wind Project Halted: Financing, Sale, and Lease
Equinor had secured over $3 billion in financing for Empire Wind 1 in 2024, and the company signed a 25-year Purchase and Sale Agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in June 2024. The lease of the offshore area was acquired by Equinor originally in 2017.
The Biden administration had set ambitious targets for offshore wind—30 gigawatts of capacity by 2030 and 15 gigawatts from floating turbines by 2035. The decision to delay the Empire Wind project is a dramatic turnabout from those goals.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s executive order on his first day back in office, which called for an immediate stop to all offshore wind development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. While the order does not terminate existing lease agreements, it calls for officials to completely review ongoing offshore wind projects, potentially amending or terminating leases.
Critics of the Empire Wind project welcomed the action. “I have worked closely with these federal agencies to expose the shortcomings of this project, and now they are acting,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) stated. “This order directly results from officials rushing the project through the approval process without proper analysis or coordination with the affected agencies, particularly regarding its potential impacts.”
Empire Wind Project Halted: What to Know
Project Suspended: US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered Equinor’s Empire Wind project to halt immediately, citing inadequate analysis in the original approval process.
Location: 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island, spanning 80,000 acres
Empire Wind 1 Capacity: 810 megawatts, designed to power 500,000 homes
Timeline: Previously scheduled for commercial operations in 2027
Significance: This project would have connected the first offshore wind plant directly to NYC’s electricity supply
Financial Backing: Secured over $3 billion in financing (2024); 25-year Purchase Agreement with NY State Energy Research and Development Authority (June 2024)
Context: This suspension aligns with President Trump’s day-one executive order calling for review of all offshore wind development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf
Read also: Empire Wind Project Secures Approval from the U.S. Government
Read also: New York City launches construction of the largest dedicated offshore wind port in the USA
